|
Dr.
Julian Christians
|
|
|
Integrative
Animal Biology
|
|
|
BSc., Trent University,
Ph.D.
Simon Fraser University
|
Prospective
students
I am seeking a self-motivated and enthusiastic
individual for a graduate student position (M.Sc. or Ph.D. level) to
start in September 2010. Research will focus on the physiological
roles of PAPPA2, a protein produced at high levels by the placenta,
using mice as a model. At least four recent studies have found
PAPPA2 to be upregulated in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy such as
preeclampsia. Furthermore, a closely related protein, PAPPA, is
widely used as a marker of pregnancy complications, as well as coronary
problems. Despite this, little work has examined the
physiological importance of PAPPA2 in the placenta or any other tissue,
or why it is upregulated in some pregnancy complications.
If you are interested, please send me
(julian_christians@sfu.ca) (1) a copy of your CV (which should include
a short description of past laboratory/research experience and a brief
statement of your career goals; contact information for references is
also desirable) and (2) a copy of your undergraduate transcript (an
unofficial electronic copy is OK).
I would be happy to
discuss other potential projects with prospective graduate students who
either have their own financial support (e.g., NSERC PGS), or who are thinking about
applying for a scholarship.
Please note that while
prospective graduate students need to find a supervisor (e.g., me),
they have to apply to SFU and the Department (i.e., not me);
click here for
more info.
Undergraduate
projects
I am also looking for undergraduates interested in
doing a research project for credit (i.e., BISC 498 or an independent
study semester). Please feel free to contact me to discuss
potential projects.
Potential projects with me can involve lab work, bioinformatics
(finding and analysing DNA sequences in online databases), and/or
literature review and writing a paper, so if you are interested, please
let me know what sort of project you are looking for, and whether there
are specific lab techniques that you would like to use.
An example of a potential lab-based project
would be to develop an assay to measure the enzymatic activity of the
candidate gene in the QTL project described below.
An example of a bioinformatics project (also related to the QTL project
described below) would be to find the
sequence of the candidate gene in a variety of species using online
sequence databases, and then study the molecular evolution of this gene
(e.g., does it appear to be under selection in certain groups of
animals?). An example of a literature review project would be to
use existing knowledge about the candidate gene to identify
physiological pathways that are likely to be affected by the QTL
described below. I am also very open
to students developing their own ideas into a project.
For a 498 or 499 project, I expect students to work the equivalent of
one full day a week. Whether you do one full day, two half days,
4 quarter days or whatever is up to you. It is OK if you work
less some weeks and more other weeks, but it is not OK to get too far
behind (e.g., do no work for 3 weeks - it then becomes very difficult
to catch up).
QTL project
The
primary emphasis of the research will be to study the physiological
mechanisms through which genetic variation leads to phenotypic
variation using growth in mice as a model. Quantitative trait
loci (QTL) are regions of the genome that contribute to continuous
variation rather than major mutations that cause serious
abnormalities. I have mapped a QTL affecting growth to a region
containing only 4 genes, one of which is a strong candidate (Christians et al. 2006). I am seeking a student who
will examine the physiological pathways through which this QTL exerts
its effects.
|
